


The Lifespan of Memory

by LittleRaven



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22593589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRaven/pseuds/LittleRaven
Summary: The dark side had given Kylo Ren a gift.
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	The Lifespan of Memory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [badritual](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badritual/gifts).



> Originally posted February 6 2020.

The ruin of Malachor stretched out grey and lifeless before Kylo Ren. His gaze picked out one aspect--the black rubble of a Sith temple. 

Long had he striven to honor the dark side. He would honor the memory of his grandfather, pay homage to his achievements. Hence the pilgrimage. The planet was steeped in a history of darkness, its last visitor no less than Vader himself. Here he would meditate, become attuned to the power he had inherited, and the purpose it brought. 

Kylo Ren reached the entrance which remained, and stepped through its triangular frame. It was dark. He did not use his lightsaber to light his way. Only his senses would guide him, as he opened his mind to the Force stirring around him. 

The deeper he went, the stronger the stirring grew, and he became aware of impressions, emotions which once felt, lingered in the tomb this shrine had become. There was a familiarity to them; he pursued it, intent on grasping what it could offer. He knew and exulted in the power that followed rage, hatred--it was what he had come here for. He was a stream, pouring into the black ocean, finding himself where he met its waters. Yes. This was what he sought. 

His sight was tinted with red, despite the darkness he had walked into. The temple was lit now, and crackling; he felt its energy surge inside him, a storm, and at its center, brighter than anything, a face. A woman standing before him, above him. He knew those eyes. He rose, letting himself ride the Force, at one with it. “I destroyed him,” he remembered saying before, and it was more than his memory, and the pain was more than his own, as he raced forward. He fell, and blackness was all around him once more. 

Not only darkness. Something soft lay under him. A breath of warm air whispered past Kylo Ren’s cheek. He drew himself up in time for whoever was there to attempt to shove him off. The push of the Force dislodged him; he slid onto his side with a grunt, and reached out, slamming the half-risen stranger back to the floor with him. He felt the daze in their mind as they struggled to get up again, and pulled out his lightsaber, ignited the blade. His strike stopped before it started. 

Blue eyes. Half-closed, in a face faint with exhaustion and confusion, familiar though he himself had never known her. She lay bare on the ancient temple floor, as if she had been drawn from the Force itself. 

She was strong. Kylo Ren felt it. He pressed into her mind, seeking to take advantage of her weakened condition, and still she pushed back. He would not be caught off guard now. Instead, he applied his energy towards pushing her over the edge into unconsciousness. Her head sank as she fell. 

He pushed himself onto his knees at her side, lightsaber off, reaching by feel for the cape which hung at his shoulders. He draped it over her, closing it over her back as he lifted her, and rose to his feet with her weight in his arms. He brought her up higher, until he had gotten her weight was over his shoulder. Even through the cape, he could feel the heat of her skin on his face. His gloves burned on her thighs. 

His grandfather had answered him. The dark side had given him a gift. Kylo Ren would demonstrate his gratitude by taking care of her and divining the purpose of her coming. 

He strode off through the unlit temple, out to the surface where his ship waited.


End file.
